This invention relates to a hinge for mounting a door to the frame of a cabinet of the type used as an over-head storage container. In particular, this is a concealed hinge of the type that provides an articulated motion and has self-dampening characteristics during the opening and closing of the cabinet doors.
This invention relates to a hinge of the type that would commonly be found in an overhead storage cabinet for a modular office system or cubicle. These types of storage cabinets hang on the wall panel at approximately eye height and are normally opened by swinging the door upward and backward, such that the door is supported on top of the unit. Typically, the doors on these types of cabinets are attached to the frame of the cabinet via a special kind of hinge using a pneumatic cylinder or a rack and pinion type mechanism.
With respect to this invention, the type of cabinet being referred to would be an overhead storage bin having door which is vertical when in the closed position. To open the door the user pulls the door horizontally away from the frame of the cabinet and upwardly. The desired effect is to have the door suspended at an angle between horizontal and vertical above the cabinet when in the open position. It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide a hinge that allows a combination linear/articulated motion as the door is being opened to allow clearance for the door around the upper, outer corner of the cabinet frame.
It is also desirable that the hinge be self-dampening to provide a quality feedback to the user when the door is opened or closed and to hold the door in an extended upright position when opened. Many prior art hinges provide a dampened type of motion during opening and closing using a pneumatic cylinder. In these cases the pneumatic cylinder also serves to hold the door in the upright position when opened. However, one drawback with pneumatic cylinders is that they are bulky and expensive. It is therefore on objective of this invention to provide a hinge which first, provides the user with a mechanical assist in the opening of the door, second, is able to hold the door in the upright, opened position, and third, provides a dampened closing motion to prevent slamming of the door as the door is closed. Preferably, these objectives should be met without the use of a pneumatic cylinder.
The hinge disclosed herein meets all of the objectives noted above and addresses the deficiencies in the prior art. First, the hinge provides a non-centered pivoting motion. That is, the door of the cabinet does not rotate about a single axis throughout the entire range of travel from the closed to open positions or from the open to closed positions. Instead, the door first moves radially outward from the cabinet frame, then articulates in an upward arc around the upper, outer corner of the cabinet frame, coming to rest in the opened position above the cabinet frame and at an angle between horizontal and vertical, thus providing clearance for the door around the upper, outer corner. Additionally, the hinge provides the required dampened motion without the use of pneumatic cylinders. As the user pulls the door outwardly and upwardly away from the cabinet frame, a certain point is reached after which the hinge will assist the user and pull the door the remaining distance to a full upright and opened position. The dampening force is provided by one or more springs connected to several structural members of the hinge. The springs also serve to hold the door in the upright position while opened. Lastly, the motion of the hinge is dampened, using the same springs, upon closing, to prevent slamming of the door. Thus, the desirable qualities of a hinge using a pneumatic cylinder are realized through the use of less expensive, more space-efficient springs.